A coalition of civic and consumer groups as well as the families of the victims who are believed to have died or suffered from lung failure after using humidifier disinfectants made by Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, initiated a boycott of the company's products, Monday.

A total of 37 groups including the Asian Citizen's Center for Environment and Health asked consumers to join the boycott to hold the company accountable for 103 of 146 deaths from toxic disinfectants.

Their move comes as the prosecution is widening its investigation into allegations that the company knew about the possible danger of the chemical used in the disinfectants, ignored consumer complaints, and paid off university researchers to fabricate toxicity results in a study in its favor.

"We demand that the company offer the victims a sincere apology, cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation, and accept due punishment after publicly admitting its wrongdoing," the coalition said during a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul.

"Our campaign will not stop until our demands are met," it said. Consumers need to show concerted efforts to have Oxy Reckitt Benckiser realize that companies disregarding consumer safety will not survive, it added.

"We, ordinary consumers, watch ads on TV and buy products trusting they will not harm us, much less kill us. Oxy completely betrayed our trust by selling the deadly products and refusing to admit its wrongdoing," it said. "Please stop buying Oxy Reckitt Benckiser products and remove any products from your homes now."

The company's products range from detergents to medicine.

Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations President Lim Eun-kyoung said the nation needs to institute harsh punishment such as punitive damages to severely discourage the recurrence of egregious corporate crimes.

The groups demanded the government and health authorities come up with measures to tighten monitoring and approval procedures to prevent similar incidents from happening.

"We demand answers from the government for failing to screen the deadly substance before it was sold to consumers, as well as for turning a blind eye on the victims who were in desperate need of healthcare and financial support," the groups said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the prosecution said it would summon former CEO of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, Shin Hyun-woo, Tuesday for questioning.

He was heading the company in 2001 when the products were introduced to the market.

Prosecutors will question Shin and two other executives in charge of production over how they first developed the disinfectants, whether they were aware of the chemical's danger, and if they reported consumer complaints about breathing difficulties to the company's head office in England.

The prosecution also questioned three former and incumbent marketing executives, Monday, over false statements on its packaging including "safety guaranteed, non-toxic substance."